A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses of a power equipment vehicle and more specifically to a speed control system that allows the operator to control the speed of the vehicle.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the art to provide a self-propelled power equipment vehicle such as a walk behind lawn mower. More specifically it known in the art to provide a speed control system for a self-propelled vehicle to allow the operator the ability to control the speed of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,949 to Seyerle discloses a variable speed self-propelled lawn mower where the top portion of the handle is pivotally attached to the lower portion of the handle. In order to increase the speed of the mower the operator pushes the upper portion of the handle in the forward direction and to decrease the speed of the mower the operator pulls the upper portion of the handle in the backward direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,083 to Staples et al. also discloses a ground speed control system for an outdoor power equipment unit, such as a lawn mower. The control system includes a handle grip on the handle that slides up and down relative to a lower portion of the handle. As the operator slides the handle down the speed of the mower increases and as the operator slides the handle up the speed of the mower decreases.
Both aforementioned inventions achieve the objective of varying the speed of the mower. However, one distinct disadvantage of these inventions and others of similar design is the cost of manufacturing assembling these components. During the assembly process of these inventions it can be seen that hand tools and possibly power tools are required to complete the assembly. The additional time required to retrieve the tools and assemble the components for each mower increases the overall manufacturing cost of the mower.
The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for a new and improved speed control system, which is simple in design, effective in use, and overcomes the aforementioned disadvantage of increased manufacturing costs.